Monday, September 30, 2019

Online vs Classroom Education Essay

Online vs. Classroom, which format is better for you? Well that all depends on you as a student and what fits your lifestyle. They say that college students between the ages of 18-21, benefit more from attending a traditional college. They have more of a need for the social atmosphere, plus this means freedom from living at home. Students who are older most likely already have jobs and family to support. Therefore, they find that going to an online university or college fits their lifestyle better. In the following pages, I am going to discuss the differences between online and on-campus classes and how internet classes compare to face-to-face classroom settings. Being in the classroom provides an interactive setting. Having students all in the same classroom has the benefit of allowing students to exchange ideas and have discussions with the teacher included in the exchange without any communication barrier. I just recently graduated from a Summit Career College and there’s no way I would have gotten through learning all the Microsoft Office Applications if I wouldn’t have taken it in class and had fellow student’s, plus my teacher there in class to help me. Therefore, you need to think about what kind of student you are and what kind of education program you will need to get through the subjects you are taking. Online learning provides a different level of conversation between students and with their teacher. They interact through class discussion boards, e-mail, and student chat rooms. Student chat rooms make it easier for professors to be more readily available to students. In addition, you have the opportunity to meet people from other parts of the world. For instance, I have had fellow classmates that are over in Iraq taking the same classes. Which I have found to be amazing on their part and informative. Since I have started at Ashford University, I look forward to the discussion boards and getting feedback from my classmates through that of communicating. Classrooms tend to group students together in large numbers, which makes it easier for students with learning deficiencies to get lost in the shuffle. In addition, for students who are shy or reserved to speak up in class and taking part in class. I have experienced that first hand at my last college. I found that most of the students in class did not respond to the teacher’s questions for fear of getting it wrong and feeling embarrassed when they did. Online classes have more of a one on one perspective from the teacher’s standpoint. Because most of the teacher to student communication is through e-mail, discussion boards or student chat rooms. Therefore, for some students, that is less intimidating and they do not have to worry about the teacher calling on them. . With online classes, students that are shy or reserved are not afraid to speak up or taking part in discussions. Online education requires discipline, focus, dedication, and motivation as does on-campus. There are so many distractions when you are at home then when you are in class. When you are at home, you can pick the place and time that is best for you to do your study time. In addition, if you have a full time job to go to everyday, online classes make it easier for you to get your education that way. In class, you have a teacher in front of you to keep you focused and to help you pay attention. Online you have to keep yourself focused, you are responsible f or getting your assignments, and making sure, they are turned in on time. In class, you have more reminders around you for getting your assignments in on time and there is more structure. In conclusion, there are many advantages and disadvantages to either type of learning environment. It is to your advantage to use something from each method to its fullest. The combination of both online and classroom education might be what is best for some students. However, for some students having a consistent school schedule prohibits some students from furthering their education. It is up to the student to figure out which is better overall for them. So, do your research on which schools have and which format is right for you. I did about a month of research on online schools before I picked Ashford University. I would recommend you do your homework before you select a school for yourself.

I.T. Project †Converting a Card Index System to a Database Essay

The present system is based on the manual card index system so most of the work is done by hand, however due to the ever increasing growth of technology, and the internet, a wide range of resources are now being made easily accessible. British Airways has recently introduced booking online, where customers can book a flight and accommodation all over the Internet. Being such a big company as British Airways, most of their bookings are made through travel agents who book the flights and pass the information on to them. Question 1 – Could you describe the current system being used by Question 2 – How are these cards stored? Question3 – What problems do you encounter at the moment? Software Available MICROSOFT OFFICE 2000 WORD PROCESSOR – MICROSOFT WORD 2000 A word processing package is a program or set of programs used to edit, format, store and print documents. Word processors have many important unique features: * Spelling and Grammar Checker Misspelt words, or grammatical errors can be identified and corrected by the words in the computers dictionary. Correct words, identified by the spell check as wrong can be added to the dictionary. * Automatic creation of index and table of contents Any word in the text can be marked for inclusion in an index. Headings and subheadings in a given style can be included automatically in a table of contents, which can be updated at any time. * Import Files Tables, photographs, graphics, video and sound files can be imported from other sources and inserted in a document. * Mail merge A document and a list of names and addresses can be merged to produce personalised letters. * Creation of templates with preset text styles. Margins, formatting, letterheading etc. * WYSIWYG This stands for ‘What You See Is What you Get’, and refers to the ability to display on the screen. And enables the user to see their work on the screen exactly as it will be printed. SPREADSHEET – MICROSOFT EXCEL 2000 Spreadsheet packages allow a user to create worksheets (spreadsheets) representing data in column and row form. Spreadsheets are used for any application that uses numerical data, such as budgets, cash flow forecasts, profit and loss statements, student marks or results of experiment. Spreadsheet features: * Format cells, rows and columns, specifying for example, the alignment of text, number of decimal points, height and width of cells. * Copy cell contents to other locations, with automatic adjustment of formulae from an area to another location. * Determine the effect of several different hypothetical changes of data; this facility is called ‘what-if’ calculation. * Insert, move or delete rows and columns. * Use functions such as sum, average, max, min in formulae * Create a simple database and sort or query the data to produce a report of, say for example, all males gaining over a ‘C’ grade, for a list of students. * Write macros to automate common procedures * Create templates – Spreadsheets with formats and formulae already entered, into which new figures may be inserted. * Create ‘multi dimensional’ spreadsheets using several sheets, and copy data from one sheet to another * Create many different types of chart and graphs DATABASE – MICROSOFT ACCESS 2000 A database is a collection of data. It may be something as simple as a list of names and addresses or details of the CDs in your personal collection, or it may contain details of all the customers, products, orders and payments in a large organisation. When made reference to, the word ‘database’ is assumed to be data held on a computer, but manual databases also exist. Some smaller business (a garage) may hold a card index file with details about a customer and their car. The main difference between a manual and computerised databases is the speed at which data can be accessed. PRESENTATION GRAPHICS – MICROSOFT POWERPOINT 2000 Presentation graphics software such as PowerPoint is useful for putting together a presentation which can be delivered using a computer attached to a projection device, using transparencies and an ordinary overhead projector or as a self-running presentation in, say a shopping centre or cinema. The software allows the user to quickly create ‘slides’ combining text, graphics and pictures and to create animation or sound effects and ‘transition’ effects between slides. OPERATING SYSTEM – MICROSOFT WINDOWS 98 Hardware Available These are the specifications of the PC I am using at Home: OPERATING SYSTEM WINDOWS(r) 98 PLUS! CPU INTEL(r) CELERONTM / 333MHZ RAM 64MB FOR WINDOWS(r) 98 SCREEN DISPLAY 800 BY 600 PIXELS TRUE COLOUR (32 BIT) CD-ROM SPEED 32-SPEED AVAILABLE SPACE ON HARD DRIVE 2.4GB AUDIO 16-BIT SOUND CARD OTHER LOUDSPEAKERS These are the system specifications for the systems at school: OPERATING SYSTEM WINDOWS(r) 98 CPU 433MHZ RAM 32MB FOR WINDOWS(r) 98 SCREEN DISPLAY 640 BY 480 PIXELS 256 COLOURS CD-ROM SPEED 24 SPEED AVAILABLE SPACE ON HARD DRIVE 10MB AUDIO 8-BIT SOUND CARD PRINTER HP LASERJET All systems should have Microsoft Office 97/2000. All systems must have Microsoft Excel 97/2000. End User’s IT Literacy The end user of my system will already have basic IT skills and will have already had experience with the Microsoft Office Package. As they are working for a big trans-national company, they would have already undergone training in the secretarial sector, of which IT skills are a key part. To even have the job, they would have to be able to type quickly, answer calls and transmit data efficiently. Therefore, training costs will be kept to a minimum. Final Choice Having looked at the current system and the software and hardware available, I have decided to use Microsoft Excel, a spreadsheet program to design my booking system. Spreadsheet packages allow a user to create worksheets (spreadsheets) representing data in column and row form. Spreadsheets are used for any application that uses numerical data, such as budgets, cash flow forecasts, profit and loss statements, student marks or results of experiments. Spreadsheets offer a wide range of facilities making the task easier to perform. SKILLS: Current/To be acquired I have a good understanding of the Microsoft Excel package. I have done quite a few calculations and performed basic macros. Having looked through the coursework of former students, and reading through the coursework guide, I realise that I need to improve my knowledge of Excel. Excel is a powerful package and can carry out many tasks easily if instructed correctly. I have already started to go through sample projects showing me how to go about certain tasks with a book titled ‘Successful I.T. Projects in Excel’, written by P.M Heathcote. End User Requirements > Provide detailed reports showing customer booking for every working day. > Produce summary reports for flight bookings in order of popularity. > Allow data entry for new customers. > Provide easy access for amendments to customer details and flight details. > Automatic backup for all centralised records daily and weekly. > Provide an exception report for outstanding customer debts or extreme bank credit limits. > The system should record financial details concerning money in/outstanding. > Allow queries on the current flight availability. Quantitative Criteria > Printed tickets are to be generated within 15 minutes. > Accessing and amending customer/Fight/Airport details should be instantaneous. > Queries are processed promptly on customer request. > Backup should occur automatically every 24 hours. > Flight details processed every Friday (1 hour max) > Exception reports are produced quickly on demand within a minute. Qualitative Criteria > The system should provide a workable Human Computer Interface system according to different users, i.e. simple menu selections or buttons > The company logo is consistent on all forms and reports. > Amount of available screen data is kept to a minimum (increase usability) > Help systems are easily accessible.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Promotional Strategy

MS. SHARUL SEEMA. NiN 5/12 Gertrude Street, St Albans 3021, VIC Ph: (M) 0420 573 056, (H) 0390 773 684 Email Address: [email  protected] com Objectives To apply my extensive administration and customer service skills to contribute the smooth running of the business. Skills Summary ? To pursue a career where I can utilize my education, skills, and experience, ? I am innovative, hardworking and have excellent customer focus, ? I am self motivated, enthusiastic and enjoy helping, ? I can work on my own and also in a team environment, I   have Good organizational skills, Good time management skills, ? Excellent communication skills, Honest, dedicated and committed, ? Ability to work and meet deadlines. Education 2012: Currently studying certificate 4 in business administration in Ashley Institute of Training Sunshine victoria 2012: Completed Certificate III in Business Administration in Ashley institute of training, Sunshine Victoria. 2002: Completed Masters of Business Administratio n MBA majoring in Human Resource Management in India affiliated to Newport University California, USA. 000: Completed Diploma in Computers from Web World in Karnataka, INDIA. 2000: Completed Bachelor of Commerce from Kuvempu University in Karnataka INDIA. 1997: Completed Year 12 from Karnataka, INDIA Professional Experience/history 20/ 10/2010- 25/02/2011 Worked as a Full time sales representative at Exhale store in Deer park Victoria. 21/10/05 – 23/03/06: Worked Part-time Customer Service Officer at Myer Sydney City Store. ? Opening and closing of Cash register banking. Handled cash, credit cards, EFTPOS, gift cards, lay buys, Gift vouchers, foreign currencies and foreign traveller’s cheques. Assisting customers in helping them to select the item and taking personal initiative to advice them of the specials and offers in the Men’s clothing. ? Solving customer queries and problems in person and on the phone. ? Taking orders from customers and other stores and as sisting customer in every possible way to meet their needs. ? Trained Christmas casual staff on the Cash register. 18/04/02 – Worked as a project Trainee in human resource management at Oriental Transport limited, BPL Group, Bangalore, INDIA ? Able to investigate and analyse and critically examine the performance on the Oriental transport company and its employees, Gained experience in completing appraisals for staff members as well as workers by evaluating the work performance. Achievements Worked as a volunteer and organised a big Christmas charity feast on 25th Dec 2004 for 600 homeless people in Parramatta at Uniting church Parramatta mission, Sydney, by gathering all food suppliers to help and make this occasion a memorable day for all homeless and needy people. Citizenship:   Permanent Resident of Australia. Referees: Name: ChloeName:Antonella Company:EXHALE, Deer ParkCompany:Myer Sydney City Store Victoria3021NSW2000 Role:ManagerRole:Manager Telephone:0435061575Telep hone:(02)92389111

Allegories in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Allegories in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde The novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has many allegories within. An allegory is a symbol with a deeper meaning. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, there are many allegories. First, there is the religious allegory of the devil and the lower self as well as the â€Å"hiding† aspect of Hyde. Hyde is also an allegory of human character in general. The city of London, and all of its descriptions written by Robert Lewis Stevenson, is filled with allegories. First, Hyde is a complex allegory because it is arguable what exactly Hyde is supposed to represent. Hyde could be an allegory of the devil himself. Hyde could be a demon inside of Jekyll, sort of like in the Exorcist, that needs to come out but eventually become uncontrollable. Although Dr. Jekyll is described as a nice man who has many friends, but he losses them all when he drinks the potion to become Hyde. Hyde could just be an allegory for a literal part of Dr. Jekyll, which is Stevenson’s statement of saying that every person holds a â€Å"lower self,† that just wait for an opportunity to reveal evil. Also one of the most famous quotes from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is â€Å"If he shall be Mr. Hide than I shall be Mr. Seek. † This could also mean that Hyde is just a part of Jekyll’s soul that literally hides within. Lastly, Hyde could be an allegory of human character itself. Hyde could be an allegory of the capability that everyone has within. However some people never reveal this capability, but for others, like drug users, it is easier for the evilness to come out. London is also an allegory. Mr. Hyde lives in SoHo, which is described as dark, dingy, and filled with the filth of London, which is why it makes sense that Hyde lives there of all places. SoHo is supposed to represent the capability of evil, and where it is grown. In Victorian England, the poorest of the poor lived in awful slums, some had no choice but to live a life of crime and evil, just to escape their reality. On the other hand, Dr. Jekyll lives in a distinguished and posh neighborhood. This is an allegory for Jekyll’s character, as he is a nice man. However, in Victorian England, many bad things went on behind these closed doors, which is true for Dr. Jekyll. The door in the first chapter is an allegory, as well as all the passageways described, like the one to the laboratory. These passageways and doors are places in-between worlds where most of the events in the novel takes place. The in-between of the worlds is like Dr. Jekyll. He is not a good man, nor is he evil. Jekyll is complex, and struggles with the evil part of his personality. Allegories are abundant in the novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Urban planning policies

NarrativeIn the West, Twentieth Century urban planning policies and rapid urbanization ; characterised by individual usage zoning ; low denseness land usage and auto dependent communities ; have frequently separated people from traditional community interaction. For many this individualistic being can be perceived as dystopia. What if people were given the chance to react to such dystopia assisted by the farther development of concerted community theoretical account that facilitated sustainable life and supportive common regard? What if an alternate agencies to populate was promoted helped by the proviso of flexible and supportive physical assorted usage environment which was both accessible and good to the whole community? It is arguable that true sustainability relates non merely to the natural environment but besides to the built environment and it has cardinal economic and societal community dimensionsBrief Outline of User Requirements:Cohousing communities provide a underdeveloped physical, economic and societal theoretical account to accomplish such aims outlined above. They are typically composed of assorted usage flexible edifices incorporating private life infinite, economic activity and extended common countries, which are owned, managed and maintained by the occupants, supplying an low-cost, sus tainable and community focused life style. Facilities should include a scope of communal installations proportionate in size to the development including a big kitchen and dining room country, a wash, offices and workshops with broadband entree and a scope of leisure installations Communal outdoor infinites should supply attractive countries for societal interaction. The edifices should be flexible and adaptative and promote supportive concerted behaviour. The proposed edifices should seek to take maximal benefit from their town Centre location and seek to accomplish high environmental criterions against the sustainability codification. Close spacial relationship between work and abode and interaction economically with the vicinity and visitants to the metropolis Centre should be encouraged. This self-generative environment will heighten a socio-economic sustainability that can successfully accommodate to the altering demands of the occupant and wider community.Proposed Location:Fish Street is located in Leeds City Centre. It connects Kirkgate, King Edwards Street and Vicar Lane supplying entree to the dress shop retail mercantile establishments in the Victorian One-fourth of the City, The City Markets and Lower Briggate, all of which are major tourer attractive forces.IntroductionTHE GLOBAL PROBLEMSome sociologists such as Georg SimmelandFerdinand T & A ; ouml ; nnies, have posed the theory that the namelessness of the metropolis leads to a feeling of disaffection ( Hess, A, 2001 ) ( Lucaccini, G, 2009 ) . Twentieth century urban planning policies and rapid urbanization ; characterised by individual usage zoning ; low denseness land usage ; big corporate concern and auto dependent communities ; have served to separate people from traditional community interaction. For m any this individualistic being can be perceived as a dystopia. Furthermore, with 75 per cent of the 10 billion people expected to populate the planet by 2050 predicted to shack in urban centres this is a planetary issue that needs to be addressed ( Ripplinger, S, 2009 ) . The hereafter defining and well-being of metropoliss requires the publicity and execution of new theoretical accounts of flexible assorted usage and adaptative edifices reacting to and advancing concerted, supportive and sustainable communities.LeedsScattered and stray communities are no more evident than in Leeds ( Nuttgens, P, 1979 ) . Over the class of the last century metropolis occupants have been â€Å" driven from † the City Centre and out into the suburbs go forthing some urban countries neglected, insecure and underused ( Nuttgens, P, 1979 ) particularly during times of economic diminution such as that precipitated by the recognition crunch. Although & A ; lb ; 1.8 billion of major belongings development has been undertaken in Leeds over the last 10 old ages, this portion of the City remains degage and distant, and many metropolis inhabitants still face exclusion or separation from community support. Maxwell Hutchinson ‘s averment that Leeds is ‘building the high rise slums of tomorrow†¦ they ‘re burying to construct communities † would look peculiarly accurate, despite Leeds City Planning Policy that sets out to undertake societal exclusion and Foster better communities ( BBC Inside Out – Leeds – Changing for the Better? ) ( Leeds City Council 2007, Sustainable Development in Leeds ) .HOW THE SITE STARTS TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEMThe Fish Street country is deep within the commercially goaded retail bosom of Leeds City Centre. The site, holding one time accommodated booming assorted usage markets in the nineteenth Century, is now an unattractive backland infinite which for large tra de name retail mercantile establishments, is unsympathetic and limited in size and economic potency. However it is the ideal topographic point to form and develop a sustainable urban community which is accessible for all, inclusive and community focused.SITE ( PHYSICAL CONTEXT ) 1500 1556SITE CHOICE 100 94The reuse and repositioning of disused or underutilised edifices and sites is indispensable to revitalizing Leeds City Centre and regenerating blighted vicinities and replacing them with more comfortable communities. Six such countries were analysed to place the best chances to determine a sustainable urban community within Leeds City Centre and promote chance for investing, concern endeavor and societal interaction. The sites were analysed in footings of size, conveyance links, propinquity to community indispensable comfortss, pes autumn, assemblage and retreating, sense of entry and reaching, parking and orientation.THE SELECTED SITE? 100 109The most suited location was the Fish Street Area. This location benefits from first-class footstep, permeableness and connectivity ( See Ri ght ) . It lies straight between the two chief East-West prosaic paths across the City Centre ( Kirkgate and King Edwards Street ) every bit good as the chief North-South walker and vehicular paths ( Briggate and Vicar Lane ) . The Fish Street country is located in close propinquity to the Victorian Boutique Retail Outlets, the City Markets and Briggate, all of which are major tourer attractive forces. Community indispensable comfortss are plentiful as are transport installations with major coach paths on Vicar Lane and Leeds Railway Station is a 5 minute walk off.SITE INFORMATION 150 144The Fish Street country has a ‘T ‘ alliance in footings of the street and edifice signifier. The site consists of three bunchs of unattractive and under-utilised edifices including two storage installations and two run down B grade commercial edifices one of which is advertised for renovation. The Fish Street country is by and large used as a thoroughfare and a hair salon and two little coffeehouses allow for some really limited community interaction. The country underperforms environmentally, socially and economically and presents a significant chance for regeneration The sites total about 1030 sq m and have a street frontage of 100 m. A considerable proportion of the sites have a individual frontage. There is a little autumn of about 700mm from West to East across the site over a distance of 41 meters ( 1:59 ) and from North to South it is comparatively flat. Assembly of the site may necessitate mandatory purchase by the Local Authority under wellbeing powers.VISUAL SURVEY 100 87Immediate and distant thresholds and positions of the site have been investigated. The consequences are shown over the undermentioned pages. The Fish Street country is surrounded by a scope of architectural edifice manners and stuffs ( See Conservation: Restrictions and Opportunities ) . However the ruddy brick and ornate Victorian facades on King Edwards Street provide the best illustration of architectural consistence and are typical of the Victorian listed edifices in this country of Leeds. Care must be taken to esteem the linguistic communication and look of these edifices particularly in footings of coloring material, stuffs and where operable graduated table and tallness in any renovation. Much of the site is nevertheless tucked away in its ain context, supplying some flexibleness.IDENTIFICATION OF ANY EXISTING HAZARDS 300 242GROUND CONDITIONS & A ; CONTAMIN ATIONFish Street lies next to Briggate and Kirkgate, two of the oldest streets in Leeds dating back to 1207. The presence of former basements, unconsolidated land and foundations or structural relationships with bordering edifices will be examined. The stableness of bordering edifices and any party wall issues will necessitate to be assessed. Any hazards associated with former coal excavation will be examined. Middle and Lower Coal Measures are present across cardinal Leeds. These sedimentations comprise a thick sequence of jumping sets of clays, shales, sandstone, mudstone and coal ( LCC, 2001, Contaminated Land ) .HydrologyThe major surface watercourse within the Leeds country is the River Aire and Leeds Liverpool Canal. The Fish Street country is non within inundation hazard zones presently identified ( LCC, 2007, Sustainable Drain in Leeds )MANMADE HAZARDSGiven the metropolis Centre location, the air quality and the noise and light pollution degrees will be assessed and extenuation taken where necessary to run into environmental criterions. Vicar Lane is a major vehicular path hence route safety and air pollution must be considered. The location and handiness of gas, electricity and broadband services and disgusting and surface H2O drains must besides be determined through detailed studies and audience.ENVIRONMENTAL F ACTORS 350 283ClimateIn Leeds rainfall norms 600mm yearly ( metoffice.gov.uk ) . The prevailing air current is from the South West with an mean velocity of 10 knots ( windfinder.com ) . Though the undertaking location is surrounded by big and frequent obstructors, funneling at land degree along Fish street, Kirkgate and King Edwards Street should be considered. The Fish Street country is about 36m above sea degree. Air temperature averages 11 & A ; deg ; C yearly and a snow burden of 0.6kn/m sq should be accommodated for in the design. Within the country a microclimate will chair extremes.SUNLIGHT/DAYLIGHTAt street degree some overshadowing occurs, though the upper degrees of the proposed development should be comparatively unfastened to sunlight topic to some flexibleness in the highs relative to bordering edifices. However, given the narrowness of the main roads through the site and the individual facet of much of the sites, effectual incursion of natural visible radiation into th e edifices will be a major consideration. Any possible rights of light issues will be examined and negotiated. The Fish Street Area slopes gently Eastward and maximal environmental advantage will be taken of this facet by the tallness and design of the new edifices.DESIGN FACTORS AND OPPORTUNITIES AND LIMITATIONS OF THE SITE 450ConservationThe Fish Street country is located in preservation country 45A of Leeds City Centre. Numerous listed edifices line King Edwards Street and Vicar Lane. Appropriate consent will be necessary to enable destruction of the edifices in the strategy and the development proposals. Conservation and urban design policies are included in the Local Development Frame Work ( LDF ) and need to be taken into history.ARTICULATION, ORNAMENT AND MATERIALSFacade intervention ; ratio of solid to invalidate and detailing of frontages should be designed to complement traditional proportioning, and stuffs should complement the bing scope of brick and rock in footings of coefficient of reflection, coloring material and texture. Rooflines should be staggered or otherwise broken to take history of alterations in degree and roofs should be pitched and punctuated by characteristics such as dormers, chimneys or turrets where appropriate.SITE ACCESSSite adjustment for the contractor and site cabins, Cranes and stuffs is limited and must be resolved. The minimal proviso of lifts can be met through incorporation of paseos in the sky between the separate sites. As some of the edifices are individual facet they will endorse onto clean party walls of bordering belongingss and so there will be issues of absence of visible radiation and views.Ventilation canals that run horizontally to the roof and the usage of solar chimneys must be considered.COMMON LAW RIGHTSThere are besides rights to visible radiation, rights of manner and compacts and restrictive compacts that must be investigated. Ownership factors such as Highwaies Services manner leaves and the Party Wall Act will impact the legalities of the development. Access for garbage, exigency services and bringings must be catered for in the design.BRIEF 1500 1527AN OUTLINE BRIEF 500 451An advanced iconic interior metropolis group of edifices is required to show a new signifier of regeneration station recognition crunch. Urban development that is more sustainable, low-cost and community focused will reshape Leeds City Centre ( LCC, Leeds Sustainable Strategy, 2009 ) . The development must be an attractive investing proposition for the renter whom is able to populate and work within a likeminded empathic community that portions the benefits of shared resources and cognition, in an environmentally friendly, non estranging environment. BUSINESS ENTERPRISEMixed usage driven out of the older back streets of Leeds, by large commercial concern on Briggate and the Headrow etc. The Fish Street country is unattractive to large commercial retailers/business due to complexnesss of the site. Supplying a community theoretical account which makes these infinites available to smaller concern. CommunityResearch has shown that 65 % of people have cipher with whom they can co-operate in their day-to-day lives, 84 % do non hold close relationships with their neighbors and one in three people live entirely ( 2006, National Lifestyle Preferences ) . Crime, antisocial behavior, soiled streets, neglected unfastened infinites, illuming and deficiency of installations for immature people have besides been highlighted as the most concerning of societal issues ( 2008, New Economics Foundation ) . The development must turn to the dislocation of community in urban Centres.MANAGEMENT & A ; TENURE 100 92The rank and outreach policy will be democratic, unfastened and inclusive and will seek to develop close connexions with the environing community. A procedure of enrolling laminitis members will take topographic point as portion of the design procedure to guarantee their engagement in the design of the strategy. The development must be for a mixed-income, multigenerational demographic to guarantee fiscal and community sustainability.Overall EXPECTATIONS/STATEMENTS ON THE QUALITY TO BE ACHIEVED 200 111The development will make a beautiful life, working environment which will maximize green infinites, natural energy resources and countries for societal interaction, maximizing the potency of the upper floors and facet of the separate edifice sites and the narrow urban infinite between the edifices. As a pilot strategy it will necessitate to hold good quality stuffs, coatings and adjustments that reflect the statement being made and that are lasting minimising future care costs. Different degrees of coating will be considered as appropriate particularly in the workshop countries and retail countries.A DIAGRAMMATIC ANALYSIS OF THE FUNCTIONAL AREAS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS 450The creative activity of inter-junctions between interior/exterior and public/private infinite on a assortment of graduated tables accommodates assorted residential activities and will ease self-generated societal interactions.COMMUNAL ACCOMMODATIONA communal-house will be at bosom of the community and will include kitchen and dining infinite, a Television room, a chromium & A ; egrave ; che and a multi-use room and will be a general usage assemblage infinite for the community. The entryway country must be both luring and sheltered and should take to or integrate mail and coat maps. The communal house will hol d direct entree to the roof patio which will supply a existent microclimate for the edifice, supplying chances for nutrient production, out-of-door dining and recreational activities and a infinite to withdraw. The kitchen must easy entree advanced recycling and garbage installations and be acoustically insulated and ventilated. Tables and equipment should be easy set up and removed and there must be two general usage lavatories. The chromium & A ; egrave ; che must be accessible by the populace to enable appropriate income coevals and be visually connected to the kitchen. There will be separate infinites for different age groups such as babes, yearlings and adolescents. Storage, lavatory and altering installations, common house security ( due to public entree ) and exterior drama infinite are of import considerations. Guest installations should flank the communal house and hold entree to its installations whilst being separated from the workshop and retail nucleus of the development.Private ACCOMMODATIONThe co-op will include a lower limit of 6060 residential units to guarantee the strategies economic viability. All residential units will run into â€Å" Lifetime Homes † , Homes & A ; Community Agency criterions in footings of size and quality and seek to accomplish Sustainable Code degree 4. The edifices will house at least 138 people and 10 impermanent paying invitees in shared sleeping rooms and flats. The invitee sleeping rooms and flats will be able to accommodate and unify into a 3 bed home or 5 bed residence hall. There should be at least 7 studios and 15 one bed and 20 two bed flats, half of which have an adjoining workshop. Populating environments should be capable of being to the full integrated with work and public infinites. All homes will hold the ability to accommodate and unify and subdivide to guarantee flexibleness for a altering demographic and community demands. The strategy will include at least 5 two bed flats which will hold the capacity to unify with one bed flats to supply three bed homes. Lift installations will be provided and the edifices will be connected at strategic degrees. All units must easy entree wash, recycling and decline services and communal adjustment. They will be located on elevated narratives to supply a safe and hearable separation from the street.SEMI-PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONAt least 24 workshops will provide for those occupants who choose non to hold an adjoining workshop to their belongings. Workshop infinite may be used for rock, wood and metal work and therefore must be acoustically insulated and ventilated. Natural lighting should be incorporated where possible. Ceiling highs will be higher at land floor degree than standard residential room highs and for at least 50 % of the workshop units overall.Cr & A ; egrave ; chePUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONTrading infinite and little live/ work units allow occupants to stay local for their work and shopping. Trading/retail court/units. Large infinites for e.g. designers, section shop sort of infinite, little stall like infinite†¦OTHERThe edifices should include a basement and besides be capable of per pendicular extension in the hereafter. A motorcycle park and an advanced recycling and garbage installation will be located at land floor degree. The latter will be accessible to all and in peculiar will be linked to the communal kitchen and workshops.. It should be unafraid hidden from position but accessible to aggregation vehicles.Agenda OF MAJOR AREAS OF ACCOMMODATIONAnalysis OF THE BRIEF 900 1076AIMS ( ARE REALISTIC/ACHIEVABLE? ) 100 63The strategy will offer quality low-cost lodging adjustment that embraces cohousing rules with dedicated originative concern and workshop infinite, taking the cost of transposing and furthering the entrepreneurial spirit of the City, making a socio-economic sustainability that can successfully further and accommodate to the altering demands of the community. A LWBC creates a balance of community and privateness, by set uping private, self-sufficing places around a communal house with shared resources. The narrow entree ways between the site constituents lends itself to the rules of carbon monoxide lodging strategies. The location is within walking distance of public conveyance and other community indispensable comfortss such as nutrient stores, eating houses, topographic points of worship and cultural attractive forces. Assembly of the site would if necessary involve Compulsory Planning Order by the Local Authority under good being powers.BUSINESS ENTERPRISEA scope of low-cost workshops of different sizes and constellations allow for people who desire a better pick of where and how to populate and work. Large commercial/office infinite will be rented to outside concern and a figure of little retail mercantile establishments and a trading tribunal can be used by the occupants or once more rented to local originative concerns.CommunityThe strategy will promote empathy for little concern and endeavor within a extremely synergistic urban community. Tenants will populate, work via the cyberspace, industry, bring forth and sell on site. Based on the Danish co-housing theoretical account, community interaction is maximised through blending private life infinite with shared installations in a co-house. The benefits of the community include the creative activity of a traditional vicinity within a heavy urban Centre with safe environments onto which the residential units forepart and common values. There are peculiar benefits for kids in footings of secure drama infinite and shared activities with their equals. The multi generational LWBC is for originative professionals ( including designers, creative persons, jewelry makers, throwers, music manufacturers etc ) who choose to determine their concern green goods, within a unstable architecture that will alter form as their life demands change, determining an of all time germinating organic interior metropolis community. The communal life construct builds upon established demand for similar undertakings around the UK including undertakings in Stroud, Lancaster, Lewes, Dorset, Sheffield, Bradford on Avon and London with at least 15 other prospective undertakings.MANAGEMENT & A ; TENURE ( HOW IT WORKS? ) 400 563A spouse Registered Social landlord ( RSL ) will be sought to supervise and back up the development. A assorted term of office of units is proposed which may change depending on market conditions. Approximately 25 % of units will be proprietor occupied with units owned outright through long term fixed rentals ( called leasehold enfranchisement ) . Mortgage support would be sought by such buyers. The investor therefore benefits from any additions in belongings value should they make up one's mind to sell. Any net income from this component of the strategy will be used to cross-subsidise the remainder. Approximately 50 % of units will be societal rented belongingss subsidised by the Homes and Communities Agency ( HCA ) Social Housing Association Grant at 50 % of development cost the remainder being funded from rental income operated through a just rent common ownership concerted. The land and homes will be owned by a registered co-operative which is controlled by its members who are those who lease the belongingss. The physique cost will be financed by mortgage loans from long term investors ( such as Ecology Building Society, the Cooperative Bank or Triodos or the Local Council through Prudential Borrowing or The Homes and Communities Agency ) , together with grants and sedimentations from members some of which are efficaciously considerations. The staying 25 % of belongingss will be a signifier of shared ownership. The land and construct cost is financed by the mortgage loans and divided into equity portions that are bought by members through monthly payments. Members will necessitate to pay a minimal sedimentation equal to 10 % of the equity portions they can afford to finance through their monthly payments. 5 % will be paid on connection and the other 5 % when land is purchased. A recognition cheque will guarantee that possible members are able to refund the mortgage debt. The figure of single portions owned depends on the physique cost of the persons ‘ place and what is low-cost ( these are the figure of portions which are financed by 35 % of net income ) . The value of the equity portions owned by these families must non differ by more than ( + or – ) 10 % of the physique cost. Members hence secure a ‘foothold ‘ on the lodging ladder at lower family incomes and the correlativity to mean net incomes helps cut down hazard and retain affordability. Similar term of office theoretical accounts are apparent in Norway OBOS ( Oslo Buildings and Savings Co-operative ) supplying for 214,000 members, and in Sweden HSB Riskforbund provides for 375,000. Le Corbusier ‘s, Unite d'Habitation de Reze, in Nantes besides follows a extremely active co-ownership rule affecting private and public renters.TYPES OF UNITS PROPOSEDThere will be a scope of residential unit sizes. 20 % studios, 40 % 1 bed and 40 % 2 beds of which 10 % will hold the capacity to accommodate into 3 bed homes. Members can therefore move between belongingss as they become available and as their lodging demands alteration ( See agenda of adjustment ) . All of the studio units and 50 % of the 1 bed homes will hold enlarged populating quarters to enable place office working. Flexible workshops infinites will besides be provided between some of the residential units that can be shared or sole used by bordering renters. 20 separate workshops will be provided for those renters who choose non to populate straight with their work topographic point. Retail units and big commercial office infinite at land floor degree which will be rented on a commercial footing on the unfastened market. An extra invitee infinite associated with the communal installations is provided on a rentable easy in and out footing with an appropriate consideration.DESIGN ISSUES 1500Existing PROJECTS AND THE THEMES OF THE SOLUTIONS WHICH IDENTIFY THE ARCHITECTURAL QUALITIES 600BOXLEY STREET, SILVERTOWN, EAST LONDON, ASH SAKULA 2004This lodging strategy involved the reconsideration of lodging criterions and ordinances for the Peabody Trust. The hypertrophied circulation infinite renamed ‘sorting zone ‘ is the focal point point for communal activity, and the kitchen are the most of import parts of the homes. The zone is a room in itself advancing usage for many different maps and the kitchen is for life, meeting, playing and cookery. The lone constitutional closets are in the zone instead than in the sleeping rooms. This program reverses typical spacial precedences supplying more infinite in countries normally designed down to a lower limit. The staying suites are reduced to a minimal size and can be used in a assortment of ways including fro sleeping rooms or populating infinite.KRAFTWERK 1 – STUCHELI BUNZLI COURVOISIER ARCHITEKTEN, ZURICH HARDTURMSTRASSE 287, ZURICH, SWITZERLAND 2001 200 177An interior metropolis site in Z & A ; uuml ; rich comprises of three edifices 5-9 floors for Kraftwerk 1 lodging co-op which promotes life, working and populating and societal inclusion. It has sustainable aims and is financed by commercial loans, investings from members and province aid. These ‘Suiten ‘ are intended to let different signifiers of communal and co-living though a assortment of communal and private infinites. The edifice blocks feature a big assortment of level sizes, runing from 2.5 room flats to units with up to 13 suites and from 31 M2s to 350 M2s. They range from singles and households to communal groups of independent people. The scope of unit sizes is facilitated by a insistent constructional system of cross walls, which can be knocked through at points. The cross walls are spaced at the breadth of a typical residential room. This dimension allows an about infinite scope of possible layouts. The units have a cardinal circulation and service nucleus and it is besides possible to infix private internal stairwaies between cross walls, to make two and three floor flats.URBAN CENTRE COHOUSING COOP CANYON, DALLAS200 58Designed by ‘Standard ‘ for the Dallas Urban Re: Vision competition, Coop Canyon harvests adequate rainwater, solar energy, and agribusiness to wholly prolong its 1,000 occupants. The construction resembles a terraced canon with lodging units tucked into the canon wall. On the canon floor, community gardens allow occupants to turn green goods. The design exploits natural energy resources through a cardinal atrium infinite. Excellent permeableness and footstep across and through the site allow for community battle with the retail and cr & A ; egrave ; che installations. A communal installation with shared cookery and wash and diversion installations is a cardinal portion of the strategy as with all cohousing. This is located centrally on an immediate degree so is easy accessed by all.ADAPTIVE LIVING – 41-75 CONSORT ROAD, PECKHAM, LONDON 200 229( Walter Menteth Architects 2007 ) Clear span floor building across the breadth of single residential units means internal dividers are non-load bearing and enable considerable flexibleness in layout from the beginning ( Schneider T 2007 P 195 ) ( See Figure X ) . Spans of up to 6.5 meters require steel/concrete beam and column frame building. Party wall block-work/masonry walls can be used as the chief supporting construction. â€Å" Fin † wall building maintains considerable flexibleness.

Short answer questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Short answer questions - Essay Example Every day the public is exposed to hours of reports on human suffering in its various forms, both through news/discussion, and in the themes of regular programming. This skewed view of reality presents a major barrier to pro-social changes. Significant improvements in this area can only be brought by system-wide alterations that are supported by a common understanding of the issue. The FCC tends to focus on nudity, coarse language, and violence, as elements they want to protect the public from. But evidence about these factors and if they have a significant negative influence on social behaviors is conflicting. It is possible that the opposite is happening; violence in the media may allow people the opportunity to express their more aggressive tendencies . This situation would agree with reports that aggression is higher in children after they play violent games (Anderson & Carnagey, 2009). The fear of desensitization to violence is another potential influence of media that is poorly understood. Those against such programming would argue that lessened responses to violence means less empathy, while supporters would point out that desensitization is a completely normal response throughout most areas of

Friday, September 27, 2019

Concepts of Effective Active Learning Speech or Presentation

Concepts of Effective Active Learning - Speech or Presentation Example John Dewey, author of the School and Society and Experience and Education among others, is one of the key theorists of instructional technology. He established Chicago Laboratory School, one of the first of its kind, to test his educational theories and their social implications. Let us find out more about his contributions and their impact on society.   John Dewey: I have developed several educational theories for the purpose of having better and more efficient teaching methods. Ever since I have been against authoritarian methods of teaching and I believe that teachers should have a greater role than just teaching or merely educating the students- they should be role models who also inspire the youth who are under their supervision. I also believe that including things that interest children the most is a better motivation than using rewards and punishments in teaching.I have come up with something that I refer to as informal education which promotes the involvement and exposure of students to activities that could help them gain experience, and stimulate their thinking skills and be able to reflect on the significance of the undergone activities. This way, learning will be more than just fun and amusing, but also something that could better prepare the students for the future. The learning theory I have developed came to be known as functionalism and it encouraged mental testing and stressed studies of adaptive behavior (Clark, 1999).   Interviewer: John Dewey, indeed has contributed much to the development of instructional technology. The educational theory he has developed is still used in a lot of educational institutions today. And after having understood Mr. Dewey’s contribution, it is now time to look at the case in another perspective and learn about another leader in the field. Here is the man who supported Mr. Dewey’s theory of functionalism and has strongly advocated educational measurement, Mr. Edward L. Thorndike. What do you think are your most important contributions to instructional technology?

Tax and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tax and Ethics - Essay Example Companies are required to keep absolute and precise records of their accounting and other business transactions details that may be required in court as evidence against tax case. Businesses are required to obtain adequate information and competent advice concerning the tax assessment. Companies’ are then required to file their tax returns properly on the specific dates to ensure tax compliancy to avoid heavy penalties and interests because of non-compliance. Companies must ensure that they enroll for corporation tax online services and choose suitable software to use. Both resident and nonresident companies liable for corporation tax must ensure filing an online company tax return. Companies must ensure that all the deductions are deducted from their taxable amounts before submitting their returns and that all the tax reliefs, losses and allowances are accounted for. In addition, companies must ensure that all the statutory deductions such as PAYE are accounted for before sub mitting their returns. All the penalties and interests have to be incorporated in the tax returns’ computation by the companies. Companies may as well challenge tax assessments in court or tribunals. The companies may assign a tax specialist to deal with their tax matters. Companies should contact corporation tax office in case there is any legal reason for not filling the corporation tax returns such as winding up order. A company must authorize in writing to use an accountant on their behalf. The role of professionals in the tax system is very important in the tax system since companies and businesses depend on them for advice. Tax experts may advice the company on the information concerning corporation tax compliance and VAT, tax efficiency and mitigation. The tax professionals, having been employed by the companies, are required to register their companies on the corporation tax online services whether the companies are residents or non-residents. Tax experts compute all the taxable amounts of the corporation on behalf of the business. The tax experts will compute individual accounts for the subsidiary companies and consolidated accounts for the parent companies that do business in UK. Moreover, the experts may compute their client’s oversees companies that were incorporated in UK. Tax experts, while computing their client’s taxable income, must ensure that all the allowances, deductions, and reliefs are accounted for. Tax professionals may also advice the companies on the important documents to be kept by the companies for tax purposes. A tax expert may be liable if their clients fail to file their returns on time or under calculated taxable income based on the expert’s advice. The government pays extremely pivotal role in addressing the tax issues. The tax authority gathers tax from the corporations and persons. The government must ensure that it taxes all the taxable individuals and companies without bias. Government forms po licies with the intention of ensuring unbiased sharing of the tax weight. The administration must make certain implementation of all the policies made. Government should put heavy penalties and interests to companies that break the tax laws by setting examples to other businesses hence discouraging tax evasion. In addition, the government shall set reliefs and allowable items hence minimizing tax burden among the companies. The government must ensure very high level of tax compliancy by the companies and

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Summarize the article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summarize the article - Essay Example The authors state that core mathematics programs that use an explicit and systematic instructional approach provide an in-depth coverage of the most critical areas of mathematics and help students with disabilities achieve the best and effective learning. This core programs reflect the current research on effective mathematics instruction meaning that they are highly developed to support the learning of mathematics for children with disabilities. The authors point out that much of the research done on this area have concentrated on the effects of small group intervention strategies. For learners with disabilities, modifications are required from time-to-time. Therefore, core programs give teachers the instructional foundation to make modifications that are required make the instructional intensity effective especially for struggling learners (Doabler, Jungjohann and Baker 50). Research has indicated that many reviews in the curriculum fail to address demonstration of target content, structured student practice and procedures to get academic feedback. However, there are certain guidelines that teachers can use to make their core mathematics instruction more explicit and systematic for children at risk of mathematics disabilities. However, the teachers must understand the importance of explicit and systematic instruction. First teachers must understand what explicit and systematic instruction entails. Research has indicated that children at risk of mathematics disabilities (MD) learn better, when teachers use explicit and systematic instruction. Explicit instruction is a method used for teaching essential skills in the most efficient manner. Explicit and systematic instruction entails unambiguous teaching models, sequencing of instructional examples, instructional scaffolding, timely feedback and cumulative review of the whole process. The second issue is the practical guidelines for examination and enhancement of core math instruction. The authors

MA205- Elementary Statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

MA205- Elementary Statistics - Essay Example e as the central theoremn states that if there is a large number of independent and identiacally distributed random variable, then the distribution of their sum tend to be normally distributed as the number of these variables increase indefinitely therefore the distribution does not have to normally distributed. (c) A sample of 100 taken , probability will be between 198 and 220 Z = mean - X/ standard deviation 198=> 198 - 211/ 9 = -1.444 Z = 0.07493 220 => 220 - 211/ 9 = 1 Z= 0.15865 Area between the two Z points Prob. = 1- (0.07493+0.15865) Prob. = 0.76642 Unit test three 1. 99 %Mean = 2 Standard deviation = 10 SD= SD/ (N)1/2 2. 160 infants Mean = 5.98 SD= 3.5 95% confidence level = (5.98 -( 3.5 X 1.6) X (5.98 +( 3.5 X 1.6) = 95% = 0.38 X 11.58 = 95% 3. (a) Paralyzed (48.0 - (8.1 X 1.04) X (48.0 + (8.1 X 1.04) = 98% (39.576) X (56.424) = 98% None polarized (56.7 - (8.1 X 1.04 ) X (56.7 + (8.1 X1.04 ) = 98% (48.276) X (65.124) = 98% (b) Conclusion The two confidence intervals are different; therefore there is a difference in the two means. 4. (a) Type I: when we reject the null hypothesis when it should be accepted. (b) Type II: when we do not reject the null hypothesis when it should be rejected. (c) Z= 2.33 P value is 0.4901 5. (a) null hypothesis H0 : U Ha : U = 15 (b) t= 0.6107 P value = 0.7269 T critical is greater therefore we accept the null hypothesis 6. (a) H0: U Ha: U =22000 (b) (c) t calculated = 21819/ 1295 = 16.84 T critical = 1.29 T critical is less than T calculated therefore we reject the null hypothesis (d) Because we have rejected the null hypothesis it is still true to state that the tires last 22000 miles... T critical is greater than T calculated so we accept the null hypothesis that the change as a result of training is equal to zero, therefore the training makes some positive change towards those who are mentally retarded.

Essay Response Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Response - Essay Example rely affect the people who earn less money, the US government will save a lot of money by taking this step, instead of giving the money to poor families the government will keep that money intact using it for other purposes. There has been a lot of hue and cry about the same and it is unfair to withdraw support, the poor people must not be left all on their own the government must help them in every possible way. â€Å"It is also believed that more than one million higher income earners will also be worse off as a result of the Governments changes to the private health insurance rebate, announced in last nights Budget. Under changes to family tax benefit A, from July low-income families earning less than $42,000 a year will lose 35c per week - $18 a year - for each child aged under 12, and $26 a year for each child aged 13 to 15.† (Changes to Family Tax) The Budget delivered to the congress is expected to be somewhere around $ 3.6 Trillion. It is also expected that by 2013 the deficit of the US is expected to fall to as low as $ 533 Billion, the current deficit is much higher than what it is going to be in 2013. A very good step has been taken by the government; the government has set aside a whopping amount of $250 Billion to rescue the current recession crisis. This money will mainly be used to bailout several big banks in order to keep the economy functioning the way it used to prior to recession. This money is expected to bring things right back on track. The congress has already set aside an amount of $ 700 Billion for the same and the increase in amount only goes to show the desperation to put an end to the current crisis. Education funding has also been a sector that has hogged the limelight in this Federal Budget; the President has promised to fund the education sector much better than ever. He has promised to strengthen the education sector and this will only help the country rise to unprecedented heights. The president is a very ambitious man and he

Subarctic Hunters Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Subarctic Hunters - Research Paper Example The Inland Tlingit people living in the Subarctic include the Carrier, Dene and Cree. While the Algonquin people occupy the east, the Athapaskan people occupy the west (Holly 10). Despite the slight variation in the culture and language of these groups, the Subarctic hunters generally have similarities in their lifestyles that sought to make them adapt to the harsh environment they lived in. Traditionally, the Subarctic people were hunters, though they also fished and gathered plants and berries. From an early age, boys were taught how to hunt as this would remain part of their daily activities for the rest of their lives. While men were involved in big-game hunting, women were mostly involved in snaring hare, fishing, processing hides and cutting and drying meat (Anthony 3). Bows and arrows were used in hunting together with other indigenous traps, deadfalls, snares and devices such as the pound and caribou drift fence. The thin distribution of wild animals, making them only available seasonally or locally contributed to the scarce population in the region estimated to have about 60,000 people. The Subarctic hunters had cultural concepts that appreciated both the need for personal competence and also the reliance on others and the need to put the group’s interest ahead of individual interests. Thus, personalities such as deference to others, self-control, reticence and emotionally undemonstrative styles of interaction were fostered according to O’Neil. The traditions of the Subarctic people associated illness with soul loss. Cures were therefore sought from shamans, women and men with strong spirit powers (Pritzker 483). Shamans also found lost things and foretold the future. Similarly, their religion had everyone believe in various natural powers. They fasted, held vigils and dreamt so as to attract guardian spirits to provide assistance. They respected nature, and food animals formed

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Credit and Lending Decisions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 1

Credit and Lending Decisions - Research Paper Example The company has been operating for over 20 years and to date has produced over 5.5 million ounces of gold while actively increasing its portfolio in order to remain viable. According to Gordon (2011) Resolute Mining Limited is Australia’s second largest gold producer. The company is now into mining for diamonds at its Breccia Project in Australia. The companies main controlled subsidiaries during the year is shown in Table 4 in the Appendix. Resolute Mining Limited (RSG) has been listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) since 1979. The company has been through numerous name changes. Resolute Mining Ltd was registered as Samantha Exploration NL (SAM) in 1979 and soon changed its name to Samantha Gold NL (SAM) on January 18, 1990 and then to Resolute Samantha Ltd (RSG) on July 21, 1995. The name was again changed to Resolute Ltd (RSG) on November 29, 1996 and finally to Resolute Mining Ltd (RSG) in 2001, following a reorganisation of its capital structure (Delisted.com). Resolute emerged as a gold producer in the late 1980’s. During the period of the 1990’s the company diversified into the laterite nickel industry in Western Australia. This decision proved very costly and therefore had a negative impact on key shareholder investment ratios. The company commissioned its Obotan operations in Ghana (in which it had a 90% interest) in May 1997. The construction of the mine in Tanzania started in that same year and was completed 12 months later (Annual Report 2001). In the financial year ended June 30, 2000, Resolute was readmitted to the FT Gold Index as its production of 376,196 ounces of gold was in excess of the 300,000 ounces required. In that year the company had two (2) mines – the Golden Pride Mine in Tanzania (East Africa) and Obotan in Ghana (West Africa). At the end of the financial year June 30, 2000 the company’s debts stood at A$74mn (Annual Report 2000). At the

Research method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Research method - Essay Example The hypothesis of the study states that improved accuracy is observed when slight modifications are made to the original ARS scale. The revision of the anxiety scale makes it more precise and more relevant in communicating to the athletes, so that they can better express their level of stress, anxiety and self-confidence. The Anxiety Rating Scale ARS has been used frequently which led to its suggestion that some modifications might enhance the productivity regarding the concurrent validity of the instrument. Two revisions were made to the original ARS and its results were compared with the original ARS. The study used 180 college-age volleyball players for this study. The results indicated that the revision yielded the largest correlation with CSAI-2 subscales. The results were similar in the males where the revision 2 yielded the largest correlations connected with the cognitive and somatic anxiety, but not for self-confidence. Across genders the revision 2 resulted in the highest correlations for the three categories; cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety and self-confidence. Correlation coefficients were found to be .67, .69 and .75 respectively. The conclusion suggests that the revision to the original ARS model resulted in the highest level of concurrent validity when the participants were intramur al volleyball players. The journal article discusses a very important topic; measuring the results of revised anxiety test. The article is complete in the sense that it begins with an introduction that goes on into explaining the background, then turns to methodology and then concludes with the results. It gives the reasons why there is room for improvement in the ARS. The ARS had been associated satisfactorily with Krane’s (1994) revision of Mental Readiness Form (MRF-L). Previous studies show that ARS is moderately correlated with anxiety and self-confidence subcomponents of CDAI-2 (Cox, Reed & Robb, 1997). The outline is clear and states that

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

COMMENT PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

COMMENT PAPER - Essay Example (Article 5. 1.a drafted by Dr. F. V. Garcà ­a Amador, Special Rapporteur, and submitted to the International Law Commission. International Responsibility: Second Report 1957 cited in Friedmann, et.al., 760) It goes to say that Allan, even if he is not a national, will be allowed certain basic rights such as making contracts and closing deals. Since it was also mentioned that the State of Lunacy will not tolerate any discrimination in contracting, it is the State’s obligation to render necessary actions to Charlie Company, which they did—revoking Charlie Company’s charter. Therefore, if the Unites States would charge the State of Lunacy in behalf of Allan, the State would not be held liable for Charlie Company’s discrimination because they had already applied the necessary action. b. According to Lunatic law any person seeking redress against a business incorporated under state law is allowed to sue in their courts. Not giving Allan the right to sue because of the sole reason that he is an â€Å"alien† is a violation of the State of Lunacy’s Law. The Clerk would have to face the consequences of his/her judgments against Allan as an answer to the violation. When states fail to adhere to the international standard, a denial of justice may occur. Denial of justice holds states responsible under international law for wrongful administration of justice regarding foreigners committed by the executive, legislative or judicial organs of the State. It includes improper administration of civil and criminal justice with regard to foreign persons, such as denial of access to courts, inadequate procedures, and unjust decisions. (Paulsson, Jan, Denial of Justice in International Law) If not given proper action by the State of Lunacy, the United States could i nclude this situation to their charges against the State in which they will be held liable. c. The State of Lunacy will be not held liable even though Allan is an alien and is injured during

Monday, September 23, 2019

Investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Investment - Essay Example Shareholders are the biggest players in any investment and their attitudes towards risks cannot be ruled out. Modern portfolio theory fails to incorporate the needs of all shareholders and uses a single set of shareholders resulting in an unrealistic indifference curve in the modern world. A period of 60 years calls for appropriate adjustments to the practical aspects of the theory. However, the modern portfolio is anchored in a single time period that is used to risks and returns scrutiny. Financial managers are assessed through a series of successive time periods as opposed to the proposition of a single period from modern portfolio theory. Additionally, a single period cannot be used for any meaningful predictions on returns. Therefore, Modern portfolio theory does not cover all the components required to come up with investment strategies for risk reduction. Investing in Apple and Microsoft shares on an equal basis is misguided because the companies have different financial prospects. Microsoft has a higher growth potential than Apple. The 50/50 basis would create a tolerance risk, but it would not realize much returns when compared to when clients invested more money in Microsoft than Apple. The valuation and expected growth for Microsoft will grow considerably because of the popularity of its operating systems and smartphones worldwide (Tilson and Heins, 2011). The clients should also track the stock prices of both companies to check earnings per stock in the last five years. EMH suggests that an investor should assess both historic and current patterns of share prices. Additionally, technical analysis would allow the clients to track share price movements for each company. An increase in the shares prices of either Apple or Microsoft should be reflected in the way they invest their lottery jackpot. Therefore, based on the potential o f growth for Microsoft and Apple’s share price performance, a 70/30 investment in favor of Microsoft would

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 32

Philosophy - Essay Example As the children learn new concepts, their brain cells form synapses among themselves (Ghaye, 21). Gradually, these connections define the knowledge base of infants. As shown, learning can occur from a very early age regardless of the background or social status. Therefore, such children should also be actively taught by their guardians. Good manners should be among the first things that children get to learn. Such excellent forms of conduct can form cornerstone for the development of character and personality. Language is yet another aspect that can be learned and taught from infancy. Children learn to speak like their parents or guardians. In many instances, children under five years of age show admirable ability to speak the entire language system (Ghaye, 32-35). However, teaching and learning ought to extend beyond the basics of language and articulation. Elementary schools are the first step towards proper teaching and learning. They imbibe children with valuable speaking and writing skills. Each language has certain rules that govern its speakers. Language rules ensure uniformity and consistency. They also facilitate proper understanding and communication between regular speakers. The alphabet forms the fundamental part of language. Subsequent teaching and learning depends on the grasping of all language rules inclusive of the alphabet. Other subjects such as mathematics hinge on the foundation laid by learning and teaching of language. Other languages have modified forms of the alphabet to guide their speakers. For instance, Chinese-speaking persons rely on characters instead of an alphabet (Jadrich and Bruxvoort, 56-59). In addition, other languages focus on phonetic sounds rather than individual letters. Teaching and learning ought to be a gradual and continuous process. This implies that teachers have to be careful not to impart too much information. Learners too need to exercise restraint so as not to attempt to grasp much more than they

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Aerospace business management and legislation Essay

Aerospace business management and legislation - Essay Example are some of the reasons that the Airline has stayed successful and has been able to survive the global economic problems that have befallen the aviation industry in recent times. Southwest Airlines has continued to be successful due to good financial planning on the part of the company’s administration, which has ensured that the company has continued to grow steadily over a period of more than 30 years. Although Southwest provides low-cost airline transport, new customers may assume that the airline’s services might be less professional because of low training budgets or that the airline acquire cheaper facilities for lowering of operational costs. (Butler and Keller, 2000) This can prevent the more picky travelers from trying out the airline’s services and thus prevent the airline from getting business from these travelers. Although pickier customers would not mind paying lesser amounts for tickets, the customers will probably not be willing to endure any poor equipments or inadequate services. Upon entering any new market or market sector the airline’s low fares usually stimulate demand at a fast rate. Although this stimulates higher a load factor, the airline has been able to handle increase in capacity through proper financial planning. In this light, some other airlines have been known to respond by dropping their own fares and further stimulating the total market. The airline’s financial plan also caters to the financial needs of their employees, as they are known to pay their employees well. This translates into more success for the company, as well paid employees are usually happy employees, and would possess better company morale than the employees of their competitors. The airline has been using only one type of aircraft (Boeing 737) and this strategy was intended to keep maintenance costs low, as well as lower training costs too, because the pilots, engineers and flight attendants only have to undergo training for Boeing 737 airplanes.

The Opening Two Chapters of the Lord of the Flies Essay Example for Free

The Opening Two Chapters of the Lord of the Flies Essay When William Golding introduce the three main characters of the first two chapters, they seem to be stuck on an unknown island with no adults to look after them. Ralph, Piggy and Jack are their names. Ralph is a fair-minded boy who is ready for action. He is very wise as he often comes up with good ideas. He is immature compared to Piggy. Piggy is more determined and eager. In chapter one, he is very eager to find any other living being on the island. When Jack comes into the story you find that he is very aggressive and quite competitant. He is not fair-minded the way Ralph is and he is eager to be a chief and take charge of things. Through the essay I will discuss the leadership qualities of the three characters and I will argue that none of the them are capable of being a good leader on their own, but if they were to work together then maybe they could reach some succession Ralph, who is one of the three main characters, is the first person to be introduced on the island. One of the positive leadership qualities of Ralph is that he is very confident. This was the voice of one who knew his own mind. To be a leader, confidence is very necessary because if you have to stand up infront of people, you wont feel ashamed or scared! Piggy does not seem as confident as Ralph as he tends to hesitate when speaking in large crowds. Piggy glanced nervously into hell and cradled the conch. Jack, like Ralph, is confident too. Ralph and Jack are the ones who normally speak up whereas Piggy is the one who sits and listens. Ralph being as wise as he is, comes up with good ideas. We ought to draw a map. As Ralph is chosen as leader instead of Jack, he always shares his ideas with the rest of the group. I think that a good leader should come up with good ideas, as this is how the group will come to success and actually get somewhere. So really a good leader should be a team player. Like Ralph, I dont think that Piggy and Jack are team players. Even though Piggy is friendly to others he is not really a team player because he does not mix in well with others because of his problems. I think that Jack is too dictatorial to be a good team player. By reading the first couple of chapters, I found out that Ralph is basically the popular one of the group. Ralph counted. Im chief then. He had the most hands up out of the group when they were electing chief. So this does mean that he is popular. If a leader does not have any popularity then no one would listen to them. As Ralph is elected leader he tries to be fair and democratic. He allows Jack to be leader of the hunters when he himself is chosen as leader. Although Ralph has got good physical features and good leadership qualities, you could see now that he might make a boxer, as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went, but there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil, he also has some weaknesses. I think that Ralphs immaturity can get in the way of his leadership. He always wants to have fun and is hardly serious about anything. Whilst were waiting we can have a good time on this island. A leader should take things seriously to get things done right, and on time. But having said all this, if you put Ralphs immaturity and his seriousness together, they kind of balance. So strictly speaking, Ralph has a got a balanced personality. I think that Jack and Piggys personality is not balanced like Ralphs is. I think that maybe theyre more on the mature and serious side. After Ralph is introduced in the story as the boy with fair hair, Piggy comes into the story. He makes his entrance by calling to Ralph. Hi! it said, Wait a minute! This quote indicates that Piggy wants to get noticed by Ralph. This shows that Piggy likes to be noticed although in the story this does not happen many times. Unlike Ralph, Piggy is more determined and eager, so a leader should be because I think that determination is what mostly brings people to success. In the first chapter Piggy is very eager to find anyone else living on the island. He comes up with different ways in which to manipulate Ralph into helping him do so. I expect theres a lot more of us scattered about. When Piggy and Ralph find the conch, Piggy comes up with a very good idea to call the others. He told Ralph to blow in it. This is a sign that Piggy does have a good leadership quality: he can come up with good ideas, like Ralph. Piggy is also very kind and friendly. This is a very necessary quality. If a leader is not very friendly, like Jack, then nobody would like them and enjoy having them around. Let him have the conch! shouted Piggy. This is where Piggy allows the little boy to have the conch so he could speak. As we know by reading the first couple of chapters, Piggy is quite mature compared to Ralph. Like kids! he said scornfully. Acting like a crowd of kids! When Piggy says this, he tries to imply that the rest of the boys are acting like kids and he is the only mature one around. Piggy can also be calm about things and very sensible at times, these are the good leadership qualities that could make him a good leader. But besides all this, when you read chapter two, you learn that Piggy has got a very quick temper. This is a very negative leader ship quality to have. Piggy lost his temper. Also, Piggy can be sarcastic. Sarcasm does not sound very polite the way Piggy sometimes uses it. You got your small fire all right. And again it is quite a negative leadership quality to have. Besides all the leadership qualities necessary to be a leader, Piggy does not have very good physical features. A leader should be strong and practical and very healthy. Piggy is neither of them. He is more on the fat side. His asthma does not allow him to be as practical as he may want to be. I was the only boy in school what had asthma, said the fat boy. I think that when the other boys went to explore the island, they did not let Piggy come with them because they were afraid that he would slow them down. To conclude about Piggy, I dont think that with all the problems he has, he would make a good leader. When Jack comes into the story, he makes his entrance by marching in on the beach. This already shows that he is full of confidant, a good leadership quality. Although Jack is very aggressive and dictatorial, he could make a good leader. He owns his own choir and he orders them about with oomph and confidence. Choir! Stand still. A leader should be able to talk to the rest of the group with confidence, like Jack and Ralph do. Jack is also quite competitant. A leader should be because this way they could have a challenge with someone else and see what they are good at and what they need to be good at. I think that in a way, a leader should be dominant. Jack is very dominant. I think that this is a good leadership quality because if a leader can control his group then there is no point of them being there. A leader must be dominant and should control their group. Although Jack seems too aggressive, he can also be friendly, like Piggy. Jack grinned back. It seems that Jack can smile and does not always hold a posh look. He is also quite funny as he can make people laugh. Shut up fatty! You have to be able to make someone laugh because this means that if someone is feeling down, you could make him or her feel better by making him or her laugh. I dont think that Jack will be a very good leader if he is chosen as one because he has not got many good leadership qualities as it is. I think that the following words describe him best: Dictatorial, impulsive, aggressive and dominant, arrogant, cruel, envious and red headed. As I have now explained the positive and negative leadership qualities that each of the three main characters has, I have finally come to a conclusion. I have decided that none of the three characters, Ralph, Piggy and Jack could make a good leader on their own. I think that if they work together and not have an individual leader then maybe they could achieve some success and come up with good ideas together. If you put all their positive leadership qualities together then you come up with one ever so good leader. If I were to re-write the whole story again, I would put that all three of them are leaders together!

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Factors to Determine Ethical Behavior Essay Example for Free

Factors to Determine Ethical Behavior Essay Scott: I couldn’t agree more. And nowhere is this more evident than in corporate America. We see ethics at play all the time, with Bernie Madoff and his Ponzi scheme, the Enron scandal, Exxon, BP, and many, many more examples. Ethical behavior can make or break a company. Diane: Sure, I remember people passing up Exxon stations after the Valdez accident several years ago; same with the BP oil spill. Boycotts against companies happen all the time if they forget they have to be good corporate citizens, in addition to turning a profit. Scott: I think the issue here, in a discussion of ethics though, is what determines ethical and unethical behavior. Can we give people any kind of a framework that might help to easily determine what is seen as correct behavior and what needs changing in a corporate setting? Diane: Of course! And while none of these ideas are foolproof, in general, they cover the majority of signs or problems to look out for and be aware of. You have to look at the individual employee’s stage of moral development, their individual characteristics, the structure of the company, the company culture and then look at how big the issue itself really is. Scott: Well, I’m interested in a few concepts that I’ve never really heard of before. Talk to us a little about â€Å"the stages of moral development.† Diane: Gladly. There are three levels inherent in moral development. You have the pre-conventional level, which deals with consequences from the outside dictating moral behavior†¦ Scott: So, an example might be my grandfather, who  always talked about the nuns who taught at his Catholic school breaking out the rulers. That would be pre-conventional, right? Diane: Exactly. It’s all about how outside punishment or reward affects the choices people make between what is right and what is wrong. Scott: So, if that’s pre-conventional, I’m betting that the second level is conventional, then. People just living up to the standards of society – what other people believe for the most part is right and wrong. Diane: That is it exactly, and that leads to the third level, which is the principled level. This is beyond responding to an outside stimulus or to our own notions of what others believe is right and wrong. At the principled level, people now look inside themselves and make a determination removed from all those other factors affecting what they believe is right or wrong behavior. Scott: Well, that does make a lot of sense. So then, what are the individual characteristics that can have an influence on moral behavior? Diane: Values and personality are the two things that govern these individual characteristics. A person’s individual values begin developing during childhood and continue to develop through experiences, discussions with other people and interactions with family, friends, teachers, religious figures, and others. A person’s value system is very broad and includes many different areas. Personality deals more with two specific ideas, that of ego strength and locus of control. Scott: Sure, ego strength influences a person’s convictions. If you have a high degree of ego strength, then moral convictions will be easier to hold. â€Å"Locus of control† isn’t a concept I’m too familiar with though. Diane: A person’s locus of control has to do with fate. Some people believe they have a lot of control in their lives, while others believe that things are left to the wind. Those who have an internal locus of control believe they are in control, while those who have an external locus are more apt to believe that things will happen to them because of fate or luck or mere happenstance. Scott: So I know we’ve talked before about how a company is structured; whether or not it is centralized or decentralized. That plays a significant role as well, correct? Diane: It does, very much so. The more hands touch something, the less likely it is that any strict controls put in place will stick. The less people you have managing a process, the more tightly the controls can be monitored. This of course would be inaccurate if you had, say, one person managing everything who was inherently unethical. Then there would be nobody to call them to account. The structure of a company is a significant factor in the ethical behavior put into practice. Scott: The ethical behavior of individuals is fascinating and all, but what about the ethical behavior of organizational culture? Some companies encourage transparency and ethical behavior at all times. They have realized that openness and honesty are good for the bottom line in the long run and ensure a strong core brand. Other companies may not overtly tell people to act unethically, but have individual â€Å"bad actors† inside the corporation who might encourage people to do things they shouldn’t. Diane: Exactly. And we all know examples of this. We hear about chemical companies dumping dangerous waste that contaminates ground water, about cigarette companies lying about how dangerous and addictive their product is, or about banks and the â€Å"robo-signing† scandal during the last recession. All of these activities, while not necessarily condoned by everyone across the enterprise, were OK’d by certain people within the corporation and seriously damaged the brands involved. Scott: And of course, this is where issue intensity is important, because while we don’t like to admit it, some unethical behaviors are worse or more impactful than others. While all unethical behavior should be avoided, dumping toxic chemicals into water that could kill thousands of people could arguably be seen as worse than, say, an employee who is skimming a few dollars here and there from a company. Both are bad, wrong, and can cause harm, but the characteristics  that determine issue intensity show us that there are indeed levels of unethical behavior, and they can determine the likelihood of this kind of behavior occurring in the future. Diane: And these characteristics – greatness of harm, consensus of wrong, probability of harm, immediacy of consequences, proximity to the victim, and concentration of effect – all play a role in determining when and why something unethical might occur. The less these factors play a role, the more likely for fraud or other unethical behavior to occur. If the victim isn’t seen, if the consequences are far in the future, or if the behavior only affects one person, the possibility for unethical behavior is likely to see a jump. Scott: And to talk more about this, we’d like to welcome to the show Scott Hyder, attorney at law. Diane: Hello Scott – welcome to our show. Let me ask you, how does ethics play a part with respect to certain professions that require licensing to do business? Scott Hyder: Well, it’s incredibly important particularly in very regulated businesses such as businesses where you need a license. I’m an attorney and so every attorney has to follow a certain set of ethics guidelines regardless of the state that you’re in. Every state has passed very detailed ethical rules that are approved by the state’s Supreme Court and it’s not a matter of if, or a matter of choice, or just a matter of morals when following the ethical rules. It’s a matter about whether your license will be revoked if you don’t and many times you’re violating ethical rules unintentionally; it’s usually NOT an intentional  thing. It goes anywhere from disclosing client confidences to wrongful accounting practices, even if they are innocent mistakes. So, we really have to be careful as lawyers because if we don’t comply with these rules, all it takes is one client’s bar complaint to open up the flood gates. A client could complain about poor service from a lawyer, file a complaint with the state bar who regulates all lawyers but, by the end of the day, even if the client’s complaint about the service of the lawyer is frivolous, the attorney could be sanctioned for other unrelated things that become apparent as a result of the investigation. It’s very common, for example, for a complaint to be filed but ultimate charges are implemented that have to do with wrongful accounting practices, competence issues and if that kind of thing happens, your license can be suspended and if it’s very egregious, it can be revoked. Scott: Very interesting discussion, Scott, thank you so much for all your time. Diane: And thank you all of you listening. We’ve appreciated your time and hope that you’ve gained a great deal from this content. Scott: Until next time!

The financing of the UK healthcare system

The financing of the UK healthcare system Since the recession, the UK debt and deficit has been at an all time high, where by the end of 2009 UK debt was reported to be  £950.4 billion, equivalent 68.1 gross domestic product (GDP) and the deficit was  £159.2 billion, which equated to 11.4% GDP (Figure 1).1 With that in mind it is a fact that all public sectors will be facing spending cuts to reduce the governments debt and deficit. Since the NHS receives its funding from the government, it is logical that it will face spending cuts too. Therefore, it is significantly important to use economics as one of the determinants in the allocation of already limited healthcare resources. Figure 1. Shows the UK government debt and deficit as percentage of GDP, from 2006 until the end of 2009.1 Economics is concerned with efficiently allocating the limited available resources, between alternative uses, to achieve maximum effectiveness.2 There is an ever increasing number of different technologies and medical interventions that cannot all be used to treat illnesses. The limited resources in the healthcare services, means decisions on resource allocation have to be made carefully so that maximum effectiveness can be achieved. In order to efficiently allocate resources, one has to consider the economic evaluation of the different alternatives before implementing the one that is the most effective and cost-effective.3 Health economics is used to improve peoples health, which is how it differs from normal economics, in that it is not about analysing consumers demand and supply, but analysing benefits of medical interventions in relation to their costs. In health economics it is also more difficult to measure health outcomes in comparison to financial outcomes in financial economics. Outcomes of healthcare interventions are usually measured in quality adjusted life years (QALY).3 Patterns of financing healthcare There are two methods of financing healthcare, which are public financing and private financing.4 Public financing of healthcare raises capital through taxation of the public (Table 1). The NHS is funded mainly through public financing. Private healthcare is where the capital is raised through the patients using the health services. The patients either pay themselves or are usually insured, so the insurance company pays their healthcare bills (Table 2). The healthcare system in the USA raises capital through private financing.5 Table 1. Describes the different methods and sources of public financing in healthcare Sources of Public Financing Description of Financing General Tax Revenues e.g. UK, Italy, New Zealand Finance is raised by taxation the cost of raising funds is low General taxation pays all the bills so patients do not Low cost per capita Two types of general taxation Regressive Falling more on the poor than rich people Includes tax on items such as tobacco, alcohol and recreational events etc. Progressive Falling more on the rich than poor people Includes tax on luxury products purchased by the rich Deficit Financing Raised by, issuing bonds with long term low interest repayments and bilateral or multilateral aid loans Borrowing and spending funds that are repaid over a period of time Deficit financing supplements general tax revenue It is used on the development and expansion in healthcare infrastructure Earmarked Taxes Tax on a particular product such as lottery and gambling for particular services such as healthcare Social Insurance e.g. France, Germany and Austria The state acts as insurer Financed by employer and employee payroll deduction Social insurance is based upon collective risk of insurance group Government might also contribute to social insurance Public Healthcare Insurance e.g. Canada, Taiwan and South Korea Uses private sector providers but payment made by government run insurance programmes. Capital expenditure are financed from tax revenues It is cheaper and much simpler to administrate than the American for-profit insurance. Wealth is transferred only from low to high risk groups, not from those with high income to low incomes Table 2. Describes the different methods and sources of private financing in healthcare Sources of Private Financing Description Private Health Insurance Social device in which a group of individuals transfer risk to another party in order to combine loss experienceby : Risk Pooling Risk Funding System of third party payments has the effect of: increasing demand Increasing of prices Inefficient allocation of resources Employer Financed Schemes Employers directly finance healthcare for their employees focusing on accident prevention and occupational health. They pay for private sector health services Employ medical personnel directly Provide necessary facilities and equipment Employees families are also covered. Community Financing It is voluntary in its nature Payment for healthcare is made by members of the community Resources are controlled directly by the community Direct Household Expenditure Health expenditure constitutes a large share of GDP through People buying more health services People buying higher quality health services Government services charge fees from users Raises household costs causing inequity A study produced by the world health organisation concluded that in healthcare services that were publicly funded, the expenditure was lower. This was as a percentage of GDP and per capita. It also concluded that the population as a whole gained better health outcomes, universal standards were in place and costs of treating illnesses were reduced by increase emphasis on preventative primary care.6 Healthcare systems in UK and USA In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) was developed in 1948, where for the whole population healthcare was free and it is paid for by taxation, which means people would pay for it according to their means, not their needs.7 The NHS is wholly funded by the government, through various methods such as taxation and national health insurance (Table 1). Only 1.3% of the total NHS expenditure is provided through charging patients, the other 98.7% is funded by the government, where 90.3% of that comes from taxation and 8.4% comes from national insurance.8 In the UK, only 11.5% of the population purchase supplementary private health insurance, whereas in the USA over 67% of the population have health insurance.9 10 In the USA the healthcare system is not funded by the government but rather by public and private health insurances. Private insurance which is mostly employment based, funds 67.5% of the healthcare budget and the rest is funded by public health insurance. The healthcare system in the USA is funded by the demand for good health, whereas the NHS is funded by the supply of healthcare. There are various programmes of public health insurance that are used to fund healthcare in the USA. These programmes include medicaid which helps the poor, medicare which helps the elderly and the disabled, state children health insurance plan which aims to help poor children and finally other plans such as those that are offered to the military. Although these public health insurances are in place to provide help to the poor, elderly and disabled, 45.7% of Americans do not have health insurance.10 The differences between the healthcare systems in the USA and the UK also differ in terms of health outcomes, availability and costs. In 2009 the total health expenditure in the USA was 15.7% of GDP in comparison to only 8.4% of GDP in the UK. Tables 3, 4 and 5 are demonstrate the differences between the two healthcare systems.11 Also, even though the USA has much higher health expenditure than the UK it still has a lower life expectancy at birth (78.8 years) compared to the UK (79.5). Table 3. Compares the healthcare expenditure of the USA and the UK healthcare systems in 2007.11 Indicators UK USA Total expenditure on health, % GDP 8.4 16 Total expenditure on health, Per capita US$ PPP 2992 7290 Public expenditure on health, % total expenditure on health 81.7 45.4 Public health expenditure per capita, US$ PPP 2446 3307 Out-of-pocket expenditure on health, % of total expenditure on health 11.4 12.2 Out-of-pocket expenditure on health, US$ PPP 343 890 Table 4. Compares the healthcare resources of the UK and USA healthcare systems.11 Indicators Year UK USA Practising physicians, density per 1,000 population 2007 2.5 2.4 Practising nurses, density per 1,000 population 2007 10 10.6 Medical graduates, density per 1 000 practising physicians 2006 37.7 26 Hospital beds, density per 1,000 population 2007 3.4 3.1 Acute care beds, density per 1,000 population 2006 2.8 2.7 Psychiatric care beds, density per 1,000 population 2006 0.7 0.3 MRI units per million population 2007 (e)  8.2 25.9 CT Scanners per million population 2006 (e) 7.6 32 Table 5. Compare health and disease in between the UK and the USA. Indicators of Health UK USA Life Expectancy at Birth (years) 79.5 78.8 Mortality Rate Under 5 (per 1000) 5.7 7.8 Maternal Mortality (per 1000) 8 11 Disease Diabetes Hospital Discharges per 100,000 72 197.9 Cancer Hospital Discharges per 100,000 994 563 Acute Myocardial Hospital Discharges per 100,000 153 277 The comparisons above show that increasing funding does not mean that the quality of health would improve. The USA spends much more capital on healthcare than the UK, but they still have a higher mortality rate for children under the age of 5. The table above demonstrate the fact that in NHS, the funds received are spent much more effectively than the healthcare system in the USA, showing that more effective resource allocation decisions are made and hence better health outcomes are achieved. Also due to the lack of health coverage in the USA, around 45,000 people are killed every year.12 Such figures do not exist in the NHS as healthcare services in the UK are free for everyone. Other means of showing how the NHS is better than the health service in the USA, is that in the UK, patients are treated in accordance to their illnesses regardless of their social class, whereas in the USA more income means better treatment, which of course only benefits the rich. Also administration charges in health services in the USA which are publicly funded such as medicare and madicaid cost much more than the services in the NHS making it less readily available to all the poor, elderly or disabled. The importance of application of economic evaluation in the NHS, to provide decision makers with robust information to guide resource allocation decisions. The definition of economic evaluation is that it is a comparative analysis of two or more courses of action in terms of both their costs and consequences.13 Hence in healthcare it can be thought of as a framework to assess the benefits and costs of each alternative method of healthcare intervention. The limited resources such as people, equipment and facilities in the healthcare, provide a helpful framework where alternative uses of the available resources can be compared. Economic evaluation in healthcare aims to maximise the outcomes from available resources through aiding resource allocation.13 There are three types of economic evaluations. These include cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), cost-utility analysis (CUA) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA). Although these terms characterise different types of analysis, they do share some similar components, which include a stated perspective, a comparison group, and evidence of effectiveness, evidence of costs and a method of combining both costs and effects collectively. The differences in the analyses are the ways used to measure and value health outcomes. When the health outcomes of comparative interventions are established to be the same, then a cost-minimisation analysis (CMA), which is a sub-component of CEA is used, and only considers the inputs. This analysis aims to decide which intervention is the cheapest method of attaining the same outcome.13 Resource allocation decisions in the NHS are very important because demand for healthcare exceeds the recourses that are available, which gives health authorities many challenges to face. Due to the acknowledged resource constrains in the NHS, economic evaluations have become a recognised part of policy making.14 In England, the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is in charge of providing the national guidance for promoting good health and the treatment and prevention of ill health and provides clinical guidance to improve the quality of healthcare.15 In order to do that, the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of comparative healthcare interventions are required to be considered. There is a large increase in procedures and technologies for the prevention and treatment of diseases. Therefore, there are many alternatives of treatments and prevention of illnesses with variations in efficiencies and quality of care. Rational priorities in healthcare cannot be set for current and new resources. Hence, NICE would consider whether the resources available are being used in the best way possible to maximise efficiency. Technology appraisals are recommendation by NICE on the use of existing and new treatments and medicines within the NHS, such as surgical procedures, medical devices etc. which the NHS is legally obliged to fund. These very important recommendations, are based on evidence of how well the treatments and medicines work (clinical evidence) and how well they work in relation to their cost (economic evidence), (i.e. does it represent value for money?).16 Discuss the principles and an appropriate method for conducting an economic evaluation of breast cancer screening The breast cancer screening programme aims at detecting breast cancer at an early stage in women between the ages of 50-64, who are at a significantly increased risk of developing the neoplasm. An economic evaluation of the breast cancer screening program would need to compare to cost-effectiveness of the programme and of the treatment that would follow, with the cost-effectiveness of symptomatic detection of breast cancer and the appropriate treatment that would also follow. One would have to calculate the QALY of both the screening program and symptomatic detection, in order to achieve a quantitative measure of the benefits of the two interventions. In order to calculate QALY one would need to work out the quality of life during the disease stage and multiply it by the duration of the disease stage. This would provide a quantitative measure so that two interventions aimed at the same disease can be compared. Then one would need to calculate the costs of each intervention. Both of these would provide the cost effectiveness of each intervention and would show which is more cost-effective.3 Evaluate the rationale of the screening programme targeted to women aged between 50 and 64 in the UK. It is established now that breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in the UK, where 45,700 women and 277 men were diagnosed with it in 2007. Over the last 25 years, the incidence of incidence of female breast cancer rose by 50%. It is much more common in women over the age of 50 were 8 out of 10 women diagnosed fall in that age group.17 16,000 cases of breast cancer were detected in 2007/2008 through the NHS breast screening programme, and it is estimated that 1,400 lives are saved every year because of this programme. Approximately 2 out of 3 women with breast cancer survive more than 20 years with the disease. Where before 5 out of 10 women survived beyond 5 years now it is 8 out of 10 women. The graph (Figure 2) below illustrates the decreasing mortality of women diagnosed with breast cancer in comparison to the past. The earlier breast cancer is diagnosed the increased chance of survival. Approximately 9 out of 10 women diagnosed with stage I breast cancer survive longer than 5 years, whereas only 1 out of 10 women diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer survive beyond 5 years. Although so many lives are saved each year due to the screening programme, there were still 12,116 deaths from breast cancer in 2008 and 99% of these were in women. Therefore, it is crucial to detect breast cancer as early as possible to increase the chances of survival and the quality of life. In addition, detecting breast cancer at an early stage and treating it would be more cost less than the long term treatment of women diagnosed with later stages breast cancer.18 The reason the screening program is for women between the ages of 50-64 is that this age group have a much higher incidence of breast cancer in comparison to younger age groups. The average age of menopause is 50 and this is the when the breast become less dense and cancer can be detected much easier. The compliance in the age group of women over 64 years old is low; therefore it would increase costs and decrease the benefit of the screening program making it less cost effective. Figure 2. Demonstrates the age-standardised (European) mortality rates of breast cancer patients in the UK from 1971 until 2007. Conclusion In conclusion this report has discussed the different patterns of financing healthcare (Table 1 2). The health system in the USA was compared with the NHS in terms of financing, availability and cost. It was determined that the NHS has a lower health expenditure as percentage of GDP than the USAs health expenditure. However, the effective use of these recourses through guidance provided by NICE after taking into account economic evaluation of the different available resources makes the NHS a better healthcare provider than the USAs healthcare system. The importance of economic evaluations that are used to provide robust information to the NICE committee to aid in policy making decisions that are concerned with the allocation of the scarce resources of the NHS have been discussed. Also the principles and an appropriate method for conducting an economic evaluation of breast cancer screening was illustrated in this report. Finally, the importance of the breast cancer screening programme for women aged between 50-64 years was examined and the report demonstrates why the screening programme is so important and why this age group has been chosen for screening.